Harry Potter and the World of Magic
by Paradox42
Summary: CURRENTLY ON HIATUS! Harry wasn't mistreated by the Dursley's, but rather raised like any normal boy. Just how will this change Harry's life at Hogwart's, when he enters the world of magic armed with a sharp intellect and a wicked sense of humour? (Slytherin!Harry and very slight Intelligent!Harry)
1. Chapter 1

A/N: All rights belong to J.K. Rowling; I merely borrow her genius for some fun of my own.

* * *

"Would you mind getting the mail, Harry?"

That was how it all started. That innocent little question. For when Harry walked down the hall that morning and collected the mail, there was a letter waiting for him. Being sent a letter wasn't all that strange, admittedly, but that wasn't the strange part. This letter was addressed to:

**To Mr Harry Potter**

**The Smallest Bedroom**

**Number Four, Privet Drive**

There was also no stamp, and the paper was funny, sort of like parchment, but no-one used parchment these days, did they? _Maybe it's one of my friends having a joke, _thought Harry. _Wonder who, though? And what sort of joke starts off with a letter written on parchment?_

Harry then proceeded to walk back down the hall to where his Aunt was cooking, his Uncle was reading the newspaper, and his cousin was already eating breakfast.

His uncle looked up at him, "Anything interesting today, Harry?" Harry placed the rest of the mail in-front of his uncle and replied,

"No, not really, although someone sent me a letter on what looks like parchment."

He then sat down at the table, missing the significant look that his Aunt and Uncle traded at this announcement.

He opened the letter and pulled out the first piece of pa- err, parchment. It said:

HOGWARTS SCHOOL _of_ WITCHCRAFT _and_ WIZARDRY

Headmaster: Albus Dumbledore

_(Order of Merlin, First Class, Grand Sorc., Chf. Warlock, Supreme Mugwump, International Confed. of Wizards)_

Dear Mr. Potter,

We are pleased to inform you that you have been accepted at Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry. Please find enclosed a list of all necessary books and equipment. Term begins on 1 September. We await your owl by no later than 31 July.

Yours sincerely,

Minerva McGonagall

Deputy Headmistress

There was also a second piece of paper with a list of school supplies. _Cauldrons, telescopes and WANDS?! Where would I even get all of this?_

Harry looked at the piece of paper. He then looked up at his Aunt and Uncle, who were both staring at him. He then looked back down at the piece of paper briefly, then looked up again. Then, "Why are you both staring at me like that? Also, do you know anything about this?" he asked waving the letter in the air, "Although, judging by the staring, I would have to answer both questions with 'yes'."

Aunt Petunia then sighed and said, rather mysteriously, "I knew this day would come."

This was a rather cryptic comment, really, so Harry felt the need to ask, "Just what, exactly, is going on here?"

This was met with momentary silence, in which his Aunt and Uncle again traded looks, and Dudley finally stopped eating long enough to notice what was going on.

It was his Aunt who eventually replied,

"Harry, we've never told you this, because we had hoped to keep you away from all of that nonsense, but magic really does exist, and you're a wizard."

Harry stared at Aunt Petunia. She then proceeded to explain to him all about her sister, magic, and this so called school, Hogwarts. Throughout this story Harry couldn't help thinking, _Huh, this actually explains a lot. Like the time I suddenly found myself on a roof when I really only intended to jump up the steps. And the time I talked to that rather friendly snake in the garage. Looks like I'm not actually insane, just magical. Huh._

Eventually, at the end of the whole story, Uncle Vernon, looking concerned, asked, "Harry? Are you all right? You look a little pale."

"Yes, I'm fine, Uncle Vernon. Although I just have one question. Do wizards _really_ use _owls_?"


	2. Chapter 2

A/N: All rights belong to J.K. Rowling; I merely borrow her genius for some fun of my own.

* * *

Later that day, Harry Potter found himself sitting in a cafe in Diagon Alley, with a large pile of shopping at his feet and his Aunt sitting across from him sipping a cup of tea, concluding that this had probably been the best day of his life.

After entering a rather dodgy looking pub, and asking the owner to _tap a brick with his wand_, Aunt Petunia had led Harry onto the strangest street he had ever stood on in his life. Before he had had even a _little_ bit of time to even _look_ at all of the stuff around him, Harry had been walked into a large building with gold lettering on the outside of it saying _Gringotts Bank_. This was where things, if possible, got even weirder.

Aunt Petunia had walked up to the nearest goblin (Harry was still slightly in shock over the fact that other sentient beings existed, and he was _nowhere near_ done exploring _that_ particular world changing development), and presented a small, golden key, and said,

"I would like to access Harry Potter's vault."

After one very long, and slightly sickening, cart ride later (Harry had never been particularly fond of rollercoaster's), they were standing inside a vault that Harry was told was actually _his_, and inside was an absolutely _ridiculous _amount of gold. Harry sighed. This was a test of character straight out of one of his fiction books. _I mean, really, _he thought, _as if just being told I'm a wizard and famous wasn't enough. Now it turns out I have large vault of gold, underground and guarded by dragons, as well. _His Aunt had turned to him and said rather severely,

"Harry. While all of this _is _your money, I don't want you thinking that you can just start spending however much you like without your Uncle or I knowing about it. And certainly don't think that this gives you any right to simply stop trying and decide to spend the rest of your life living off the money in this vault. My sister and her husband worked hard to earn most of this, and I will _not_ see you waste her money."

Harry really hadn't been thinking _any_ of that, and after his Aunt's rather long and impromptu speech he certainly wasn't thinking it _now_. So he put a couple of gold coins (Galleons, they were called) in a bag his Aunt had brought, and they went to do their shopping.

Now, here they were. Sitting in a cafe after an exhausting, yet very fulfilling, day, and there was just one thing left on the list to buy. The one thing that Harry had _really _been looking forward to.

"I just need a wand, now, Aunt Petunia."

"Oh? Well, I know just where to go for that", she replied, and she got up and led Harry to a store called Ollivander's, and through the window Harry could see a single wand lying on a purple cushion.

They entered the shop accompanied by the tinkle of the doorbell, and found themselves in a small, dusty room, with a few chairs and a counter. Behind the counter stood a very old looking man, who smiled when he saw Harry, and said,

"Ah, Mr Potter. I thought I might be seeing you soon."

This was a rather… _odd_ comment to make, and Harry decided to simply remain silent.

"It seems like only yesterday that your parents were in here buying their first wands. Now," here he pulled down a box from one of the shelves and opened it to reveal a wand lying in velvet, "how about you try this one?"

Harry walked forward and picked up the wand. He stood there feeling rather foolish.

"Well, go on. Give it a wave."

He did so, and a row of wands went flying outwards. At this, the wand was snatched away from him, and he was handed another, and another, and another, until eventually, there was quite a pile of wands building up on Mr Ollivander's desk, and his Aunt had long since sat on one of the chairs provided. _Apparently_, thought Harry, _I'm a tricky customer_.

This didn't seem to have dampened Mr Ollivander's spirit at all, though, as he continued to try many different wands, seeming to get _more _excited with every rejected one.

Eventually, he came back from somewhere near the back of the shop holding a wand, muttering "I wonder, I wonder…" and proceeded to hand the wand to Harry.

The moment he touched it, Harry knew that this was it. His wand. He felt a spreading warmth in his hand, and blue and green sparks flew out the end. It was then that Mr Ollivander spoke again,

"Holly and Phoenix feather, 11 inches, nice and supple. It's curious indeed that this wand should choose _you_, Mr Potter, because it's brother… well, it's brother gave you that scar."

This announcement was met with silence by both Harry and his Aunt, and all Harry could think was _really? As if being told I'm famous in the Wizarding world and having a large sum of money locked away in a vault underground wasn't enough, now my life is turning into a real life fiction book?_ Because, really, his wand being the 'brother' of the wand that had killed his parents and had been owned by the Dark Lord? That was just far to coincidental to _possibly_ be random. There had to be some kind of… story, or planning, going on here.

They had then payed for the wand and left. Of course, Harry did know about the Dark Lord. Among her explanation of the Wizarding world, Aunt Petunia had also included the truth about how his parents had died, and just who had killed them. The Dark Lord Voldemort. Harry shivered just thinking the name. It was definitely scary, and using safer terms like 'You Know Who' was infinitely better.

It was then that Harry thought of the question that he had asked earlier that day.

"Aunt Petunia?"

"Yes, Harry?"

"It says in the letter that I'm alowed to take a pet to Hogwarts."

Aunt Petunia looked bit wary at this, but responded nonetheless, "Yes?"

"Well, I was wondering. Could I have an owl?"

His Aunt sighed and put her face in her hands.

* * *

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	3. Chapter 3

A/N: All rights belong to J.K. Rowling; I merely borrow her genius for some fun of my own.

* * *

Today was it. He, Harry James Potter, was going to Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry. Well, he would be if they could ever fit his school trunk and owl cage into the car. Yes, Harry had won his Aunt over and gotten an owl. Snowy white and quite elegant looking (at least in Harry's opinion), Hedwig was now his owl. _Which is both extremely weird and extremely cool_ thought Harry.

After a few hours in the car, they finally arrived at King's Cross station, London, where they then had to get his trunk and owl back _out _of the car and onto a trolley, and finally, they were there. It was at this point that Harry looked down at his ticket (which had been included in the letter) for probably the hundredth time over the holiday's. It still didn't make any sense to him, although Aunt Petunia said that she knew where to go.

Platform _9 ¾_, was, apparently, where the Hogwarts Express departed from. But, here he was with his Aunt and Uncle (Dudley had stayed home to watch one of his favourite television shows), standing between platform's nine and ten. He finally asked,

"Okay, Aunt Petunia, just what, exactly, am I supposed to do?"

She hesitated for moment, and, looking as though she didn't quite believe it herself, replied,

"Well… when I used to come here with Lily, all she would do was walk straight at the wall between platform's nine and ten, usually at a run, and then she would just sort of… disappear into it. I can't really tell you what's on the other side, because muggles can't get through the barrier, but I believe that that's all you have to do."

Right. So all he had to do was run at a wall head on? Brilliant. _I swear, if all I get from this is a sore head, someone is going to PAY._

It was then that his Aunt leant down and swept him into an enthusiastic hug, and then his Uncle joined in too, and it was with a great force of will that he refrained from crying. It really hit him then. He wouldn't be seeing his family for months.

"Well, Harry, I hope you have a good time, and don't get in too much trouble, okay?" That was Uncle Vernon, and Harry just nodded and hugged him a little tighter before letting go and turning to his Aunt.

"I'll be fine, Aunt Petunia, really. And I promise not to get into too much trouble, _and _to write every week or so."

"_Every _week, Harry, every week. And… goodbye, Harry."

She finally let him go, and Harry turned around, grabbed his trolley, and faced the wall. It looked like a very hard and sturdy wall. He really hoped that this worked.

He backed up a couple of steps, waved to is Aunt and Uncle one final time, and started running towards the wall. Closer, and closer and _Please DON'T let me run into a solid wall…_ and then he was briefly emerged in darkness, and then he came out onto a platform. A _large_ platform. _So,_ he thought_, either I've just been teleported, or somehow, this is all just some small pocket universe or something._ He decided to try and not think about it too much.

The platform was crowded with witches and wizards. There were students just like him pushing trolley's very similar to his, and some had owls as well, and other's had cats, and one boy was trying to hold onto a toad while someone who looked like his grandmother was talking to him.

_I should probably find a carriage_. He started to walk along the train, until finally he came across an empty carriage. He was just contemplating how to get his heavy trunk up into the carriage when two tall, redheaded twins stopped next to him and said,

"Look, Fred, it's a first year. Do you think we should help him with his trunk?"

"Why yes, George, I believe we should. After all, we aren't Gryffindor's for nothing, are we?"

The one called Fred then turned to him and said,

"Hi, I'm Fred Weasley, and this is George. Would you like help with that?"

His response was immediate; as there was no way that he was going to be able to move the trunk on his own.

"Yes, please, I - ", but before he could finish, the twins had already picked up his trunk for him and placed it in the carriage.

"Thanks, I'm Harry Potter, by the way. Nice to meet you."

The twins had hopped back out of the carriage and were both now staring at him, specifically, at the scar on his head that they had just now noticed. They looked at each other, and then back at Harry.

"Brilliant", they said at the same time, and then Fred said,

"Nice to meet you to, Harry, but we must be off now. See you round", and they both walked off.

_Well, that was helpful, _thought Harry, _almost… planned, really._ _Oh, well, surely there isn't anything sinister going on __yet__. I haven't __arrived__ yet._

Brushing it off, Harry proceeded to get into the carriage, and a few minutes later, the train was underway, and Harry James Potter was on his way to Hogwarts.

* * *

Just a few minutes into the train ride, the carriage door to Harry's compartment was slid open and in the doorway stood a boy with platinum blonde hair, a pointed chin and stormy grey eyes. Behind him stood a dark skinned boy with brown eyes. They were both eyeing him with interest. The blonde boy stepped forward and introduced himself,

"Hello, I'm Draco Malfoy, and this is Blaise Zabini", here he pointed to the boy behind him, "And if the rumours are true, your Harry Potter, aren't you?"

Harry regarded him before smiling slightly.

"Well, I can confirm that yes, the rumours are true. I am, in fact, Harry Potter. Pleased to meet you."

"Do mind if we come in and sit down? Most of the other compartments are full."

"Not at all, come in" Harry was quite happy with this turn of events. He really didn't want to sit by himself for the whole train ride.

Draco came in and sat across from him, and Blaise sat to his right. He was sitting near the window. Harry asked,

"So, are you first years as well? I can't really tell."

This time, Blaise replied,

"Yeah, we're both starting this year."

Just as he finished speaking, the compartment door was slid open again and bushy haired girl paused in the doorway and asked, in a rather polite voice,

"Sorry to disturb you, but have any of you seen a toad? A boy called Neville's lost one, and he can't find it anywhere."

Harry looked at Draco, Draco looked at Harry and then Blaise, and Blaise just stared at the girl. It was Draco who answered,

"No, we haven't seen a toad. I'm Draco Malfoy, and this is Harry Potter and Blaise Zabini. Who are you?"

The girl looked momentarily stunned, staring at Harry, and then replied,

"I'm Hermione Granger, and are you really Harry Potter? Did you know your in _Modern Magical History _and _The Rise and Fall of the Dark_ _Arts_ and _Great Wizarding Events of the Twentieth Century_?"

Harry was momentarily stunned, but recovered quickly. He had, in fact, bought two of those books while in Diagon Alley in an effort to learn more about the magical world, and had been quite surprised to find himself mentioned in them.

"Well, I knew I was in _Modern Magical History _and _Great Wizarding Events of the Twentieth Century_, but I haven't read the other one. Anything interesting about me in it?

This time, Hermione replied immediately, this time smiling slightly,

"Nothing that isn't in the other two. Anyway, thank-you for your time," she said, looking around the carriage, "but I really must move on. There's lot's of carriage's to search. Bye!" She then backed out of the door, closed it, and walked away.

Draco looked at Harry and simply said,

"Well, that was certainly interesting."

* * *

**R&R? Please? Pretty Please?  
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	4. Chapter 4

A/N: All rights belong to J.K. Rowling; I merely borrow her genius for some fun of my own.

* * *

Hours later, the Hogwarts Express finally pulled into the station at Hogsmeade. The announcement then came that they had arrived, and that you should please leave all luggage on board, as it will be taken to the castle separately. Harry wondered how they could possibly get everyone's luggage up to their appropriate rooms, especially the first years who hadn't even been sorted yet, in the few hours that they would all be at the feast. Then he remembered that this was a world of _magic_, and they could probably do whatever they wanted. Then he thought _just who is this __they__ I seem to keep thinking about?_

Harry, Draco and Blaise had just managed to get off the train, after pushing past quite a few people, when a loud voice cut over all other's saying,

"First years, over here, come on, first years over here!"

Harry looked at his two new friends and they back at him, then they all shrugged and followed the voice to find its owner. They made there way over to where an absolutely _huge_ man was standing, (he was at least three times Harry's height), and stood with the gradually growing crowd of first years. When they had all arrived, (Harry estimated that there were just under forty of them) they were led by the man who had introduced himself has Hagrid to a group of boats sitting on the edge of a lake.

"Alright, it's four people to each boat, and keep your hands and feet inside at all times while we're crossing the lake", said the man, and he then proceeded to get into a boat himself, taking up all of the space within it.

Harry, Draco, Blaise and another first year that Draco just called 'Crabbe' all got into the one boat. When everyone had finally settled, some unheard command told all the boats to start moving, making many of them gasp and some almost fall into the lake.

It wasn't long before Harry finally caught his first glimpse of Hogwarts. Perched atop a high mountain on the other side of the lake, its windows sparkling in the starry sky, was a vast castle with many turrets and towers. _It's massive_, thought Harry _and it really is an actual __castle__._

It was around now that Harry thought back to the conversation he had had on the train about Hogwarts…

The trolley with lollies had just come around, and Harry was trying as many different types of sweets as he could, including a chocolate frog that _actually jumped, _when Draco had said,

"So, Harry, do you know which house you'll be in? Personally, I'm sure I'll be in Slytherin. And what about you, Blaise?"

Harry had, in fact, read about the four houses of Hogwarts in _Hogwarts: A History_, however the information provided there had only been helpful in the way of historical facts, not in helping him figure out which house he might be best suited to. He looked at Blaise, who then spoke.

"I'm pretty sure I'll be in Slytherin, but you never know." He then turned to Harry, "You do know about the four houses, don't you?" As Blaise and Draco had discovered, his information about the Wizarding world was somewhat lacking due to being raised by muggles.

"Yes, I do. I'm just not sure what they're all really like." It was Draco you answered him,

"Well, there's Gryffindor, for the brave or just really stupid, Ravenclaw for the smart kids, Slytherin for the smart _and _cunning ones, and Hufflepuff for the rest."

Harry considered this for a moment, and replied,

"Well, just going off your description, I'd have to say either Ravenclaw or Slytherin, although I think that Ravenclaw appeals to me more."

Draco merely smiled at this, and Blaise didn't seem to have any real reaction to it.

When he came back out of his short flashback, he found himself walking through a corridor to a large entrance hall. Here they were stopped by a rather severe looking witch, with black hair pulled back into a bun and wearing long green robes.

"Welcome, first years. I'm Professor McGonagall. In a moment I will lead you into the great hall for the sorting ceremony. While you are here at Hogwarts, your House will be like your family. The four houses are Gryffindor, Hufflepuff, Ravenclaw and Slytherin. For all good behaviour you will be awarded house points. Any rule breaking will result in points being taken away. At the end of the year the house with the most points will be awarded the House Cup. I hope that each of you will become a credit to your respective houses" As she finished, Professor McGonagall had turned around and pushed open the massive doors leading into the Great Hall, and she then proceeded to lead them down the centre isle.

There were four long tables in the hall, and one table running horizontally that appeared to be the teachers table. Finally, they came to a stop before a very old looking stool, with an even older looking hat sitting on top of it. Professor McGonagall then came to a stop, and turned back to the first years,

"When I call your name, you will come forward and try on the hat. You will then be sorted into your houses." Here she paused and took out a scroll of names,

"Abbot, Hannah!"

A young girl ran forward and after just few seconds sitting on the stool, a crack in the old hat opened and shouted, "Hufflepuff!"

Hannah hopped off the stool and walked to the cheering table on the far right. The next student was called, 'Bones, Susan', and she became a Hufflepuff as well.

Soon, the bushy haired girl, Hermione, was called, and after a few minutes under the hat became the second girl to be sorted into Ravenclaw.

Eventually, 'Malfoy, Draco' was called, and the hat had only been on his head a few seconds before he got his wish and the hat shouted 'Slytherin!' and he walked to the cheering table second from the right.

Soon, the call of 'Potter, Harry' came, and was met with much whispering throughout the hall. Harry decided to ignore this and promptly walked up to the stool and carefully placed the nearly 1000-year-old hat on his head (unlike some of his year-mates, who had carelessly placed the probably-really-valuable artefact on their heads as if it was just any old hat).

As soon as it was on his head, there was a feeling of someone, or something, else present in his head, and then the hat started talking to him.

_Ah, interesting… yes, very interesting…_

'Wait, don't sort me yet!' thought Harry, 'I have some questions!'

_Some… questions? Well… oh, alright, fine, but only a few._

Harry had spent quite some time thinking about it, and he did have a few questions that probably only the hat could answer for him.

'Okay, first, do you know any of the old and now forgotten magics that created you, and if you do, could you teach them to me?' Among Harry's reading about the Wizarding world, he had stumbled across the fact that some old magics had been lost over the centuries, and no witches or wizards today seemed to be as powerful as they once had been.

_Err… well, I __do__ know about and could teach the magics that created me and more, however I will not teach them to a first year. However, if you come and find me in your seventh year before leaving, I'll see what I can do._

This… wasn't exactly what Harry had hoped for, but it would do.

'Okay, well, are you able to tell if any part of the Dark Lord exists in me or in the scar on my head?'

_If there were any other consciousness present, I would be able to sense it and it would be participating in this discussion. So no. Alright, no more questions. Now it's time to sort you._

'No, wait, just a few more - '

_No. Now, your intelligent, yes, I can see that, and there's plenty of courage there too. But there's also a thirst to prove yourself. Interesting. But where to put you?_

'Well, I was thinking either Slytherin or Ravenclaw, and please _don't _put me in Gryffindor, somehow I don't think I would fit in there'

_Slytherin or Ravenclaw, huh? Well, you certainly would make a good Ravenclaw, that's for sure. However, knowledge isn't truly where your heart lies, so it better be – _"Slytherin!" This last part was shouted to the entire hall, which had been quiet for so long that many of the students jumped and one or two even screamed.

Harry took off the hat, placed it on the stool, and walked calmly over to the Slytherin table, which was now cheering and there was some older student yelling 'We got Potter!', and sat down next to Draco.

The sorting ceremony continued and eventually was finished with 'Zabini, Blaise!' being sorted into Slytherin and coming to sit beside Harry. Then the headmaster, Dumbledore, stood up and addressed the hall,

"Welcome everyone, to a new year at Hogwarts. Now, before the feast begins, I just have a few words, and they are, Nitwit! Blubber! Oddment! Tweak! Thank you." After this he sat down again, but by this time no-one was paying attention to him, as the tables had all filled with food at his words.

Harry turned to look at the large range of food in front of him, and didn't know where to start. This was probably more food in one place than he had ever seen in his life. He then turned to one of the older student's near him and asked,

"Is the headmaster… a little mad?" because really, how else did you explain that opening speech?

The older student, who was a prefect judging by the badge attached to his tie, turned to him and responded,

"Mad? Well, probably a little. Then again, he was a Gryffindor. What else would you expect?"

_He probably has a point_ thought Harry. So far, from what he had heard about Gryffindor's, they seemed to be the reckless or just stupidly brave kids. So what would an adult Gryffindor look like? Apparently, like Albus Dumbledore (he knew his first name from the chocolate frog card he had opened on the train).

All too soon, the feast was drawing to a close, and the Headmaster stood up to address the hall yet again.

"Now, I have a few start of term notices. First of all, I would like to tell all first years that the Forbidden forest is forbidden. It's in the name." He paused to look briefly at the Gryffindor table, and continued, "Also, caretaker Filch has asked me to remind you that there should be no spells being cast in the hallways between classes. And to all students, both new and returning, I must ask that this year you stay away from the third floor corridor, unless you wish to die a most horrible and painful death." This last statement was met with slightly shocked silence by the students.

"And now, I bid you all goodnight, and I ask the prefects to please direct your first years to your respective houses. Goodnight!"

There was then a lot of movement as hundreds of students started standing up and leaving the hall. Harry, Draco and Blaise followed the prefect, along with the other first year Slytherin's (two other boys and four girls) down into the dungeons, where they stopped outside a painting, which shocked Harry when it moved and asked, "Password?"

The prefect stepped forward and said, "Salazar" He then turned back to look at first years, "and please note, that the password changes every two weeks, so keep track of it because it can be a long time before anyone walks down to the dungeons if your locked out."

They then entered the common room to find it decorated in silver and green, with a warm, cosy fireplace, and several couches and worktables.

"Alright, in the morning we'll have a brief introductory meeting, but for now you all look really tired. Boy's dormitories are down that hall to the left, and girls the same but on the right. Find the doors labelled 'first years'. Goodnight."

Harry and the other first year boys headed down the hall until they came to their door, and walked in to find five four poster beds, and Harry barely remembered finding the one with his trunk next to it, and changing into some pyjamas, before he gratefully succumbed to the call of sleep after a very tiring day.

* * *

**I'd just like to say thank-you to everyone who has added this fic to their favourites list or followed it.  
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**R&R Please? Reviews are like cookies to authors :)**

**Also, I won't be able to update as quickly anymore, as I go back to school this week, but I promise the next chapter sometime in the next week or so.**


	5. Chapter 5

**A/N: All rights belong to J.K. Rowling; I merely borrow her genius for some fun of my own.**

* * *

The next morning, the Slytherin first years were awoken by the sound of someone hammering loudly on their door, shouting,

"Come on, you lot! We want you all in the common room in half an hour for your introductory meeting!" After this came a few more knocks, the sound of retreating footsteps, and then there was silence again.

Harry groaned and sat up. He had gotten the bed farthest from the door, and to his left he could see Draco getting up and Blaise stirring. To his right were the other first year boys, Vincent Crabbe and Theodore Nott. They were also, slowly, getting up.

Eventually, they were all up and dressed, and they then made their way out into the common room, where the first year girls and two Slytherin prefects were waiting for them.

The male prefect spoke first after they had all sat down,

"Morning, everyone! Welcome to Slytherin house. We wanted to do this last night, but you all looked too tired for it. Anyway, I'm Sebastian Daley and this," here he gestured to the girl beside him, "is Olivia Shardlow. As you can probably tell," again, he gestured, but this time to the badges attached to their robes, "we're the sixth year Slytherin prefects. Since the seventh and fifth years have their NEWTS and OWLS this year, we've been tasked with making sure you all integrate into Slytherin house nicely."

Sebastian stopped talking, and then it was Olivia's turn to speak,

"All right, first of all, you've all probably heard the stories that Slytherin's are all evil and we're all just future Dark Lords. This isn't true. Salazar Slytherin prized students with the potential for greatness, and that's what all of you have if you've been sorted into this house. What all of us have. So whatever anyone else says, Slytherin is _not_ just for future Dark Lords. All of us have the potential for greatness, and _that's _what makes us the best house." Here she stopped, and Sebastian started talking again,

"Next, the other houses. The Gryffindor's pretty much all hate us, except for the occasional few. So we mostly try to avoid them, because you really shouldn't start fights just for the sake of it. Hufflepuff's also don't like us, so we tend to avoid them as well. We have a truce of sorts with the Ravenclaw's, so they're the only other house we really get along with." He stopped and Olivia started again,

"Now, last but not least, Slytherin House is all about unity. When your out in public, with all the other houses, it doesn't matter who your friends are, who you do or don't like, we Slytherin's stick together, because most of the other houses don't like us. So save all your differences and disputes to be sorted out when your in the common room or just with other Slytherin's, but we must present a united front everywhere else. Got that?" Both prefects then looked at them, and they all nodded in understanding.

"Alright, good. Now, it's time for some breakfast."

* * *

Breakfast in the Great Hall was just as good as dinner the night before, although with the addition of the morning post being delivered by owls, which Harry had been most surprised by. The first years soon received their timetables and were on their way to their first class, Charms. Harry was slightly disappointed that he didn't get to actually start casting spells in that class, instead spending the lesson practicing wand movements. Next was History of Magic, which, Harry was surprised to learn, was taught by a ghost. _Do the teachers ever get fired? Or is there some kind of contract saying that they have to teach even in __death__?_

After that they had and hour for lunch, and then Transfiguration. This was taught by professor McGonagall, who amazed them all by turning her desk into a pig and back again as an introduction to her subject. It soon became clear, however, that they wouldn't be transfiguring desks into pigs anytime soon, as there first task was to transform a match into a needle, which, by the end of the lesson, no-one had managed to do correctly, although Harry's match looked more silver than it had been before.

Last for the day was Defence Against the Dark Arts, taught by Professor Quirrell, a nervous looking man who wore a purple turban around his head. Harry, Draco and Blaise had all been looking forward to DADA (as it was more commonly called), but soon found that it wasn't to be as good as they'd hoped, as there was quite a bit of theory they needed to learn before even attempting to cast a spell.

After Defence Against the Dark Arts, they had a few hours before they needed to be at dinner, so they all returned to the common room to complete the small amount of homework they had gotten on their first day. _Why do they call it homework, _Harry thought,_ if we do it in the same place that we received it in?_

They still had an hour and half before dinner, so Draco decided to challenge Blaise to a game of wizards chess. When Harry asked how this was different to normal chess, Draco had just looked at him blankly, not understanding what Harry meant by 'normal' chess. So it wasn't until Harry actually watched Draco and Blaise playing that he understood. Wizards chess was exactly the same in regards to the pieces and rules, however, the pieces moved by themselves. _Well, I __am__ at a school of Magic, _thought Harry,_ so I suppose chess pieces that move by themselves really aren't that strange._ When they had finished, Blaise, the winner, decided to teach Harry the basics of the game. By the time they had to go dinner, Harry was about at good at wizards chess as he was at normal chess, which wasn't too bad, except for the fact that Blaise seemed to be some kind of master chess player, and was able to win against him easily.

Dinner wasn't quite as an extravagant affair as the start of term feast had been, however it was still a lot more food than Harry was used to seeing in the one place. After dinner, the Slytherin first years returned to their dorms, and were greeted by Olivia and Sebastian when they got there. After being asked how their first day was, and answering that it was fine, they first year boys went down the corridor to the left and collapsed into bed after yet another exhausting day.

* * *

The next morning, as they Harry was leaving the Great Hall after breakfast, he noticed a large group of first year students gathered around the notice board. Wondering what captured their attention, Harry, Draco and Blaise pushed their way through the throng of students until they were able to get a good look at the board.

"Excellent", said Draco, "flying lessons every Thursday. I'll finally be able to ride a broom again!"

"Yes" said Blaise, "but look. We've been partnered with the Gryffindor's for it."

Draco started to look a little less excited, however replied with just as much enthusiasm as before,

"So? I'll be able to show off my brilliant flying skills and all the Gryffindor's will be awed!"

It seemed nothing could dampen the prospect of flying in Draco's mind. Harry, however, was starting to get nervous. His first time flying in his whole life, and he would probably be making a fool of himself in front of all the Gryffindor's. Brilliant, just what he needed.

As it turned out, though, he really needn't have worried at all, for when the time came for their lesson on Thursday afternoon, Harry found that he was quite the decent flyer.

* * *

The Slytherin first years all entered the Quidditch pitch on Thursday afternoon to find two rows of brooms and Madam Hooch, the Hogwarts Quidditch coach, waiting for them. Once the Gryffindor's had arrived as well, Madam Hooch spoke to the group at large,

"Alright everyone, if your right handed, stand to the left of your brooms, and if your right handed, the opposite", she paused to wait for them all to organise themselves, "Good. Now, hold your right hand, or your left if your left handed, over your brooms and say nice and clearly 'up'!"

Harry held his right hand out over the broom and said 'up' and was quite surprised to find that the broom sprang instantly into his grip. Next to him, the same had happened for Draco, and in fact, it appeared that all the Slytherin's brooms had only required one 'up'. The Gryffindor's hadn't had the same luck. Ron Weasley's broom had flipped and hit him in the face, and Draco, opposite him, was laughing at him. Neville Longbottom's broom wasn't moving at all.

Eventually, they all had their brooms in hand. Madam Hooch then went around correcting grips, and to Draco's embarrassment, she told him that he had been doing it wrong for years. She walked back between the two lines of brooms and faced the whole group again,

"Now, on the count of three, I want you all to kick off from the ground, hard. One, two – " but as she said two, Longbottom, nervous and panicky, had kicked off from the ground. He was now rising quickly, and appeared to be too frightened to even attempt to take control of the broom. Madam Hooch was shouting at him to 'get down here!' , (_really, does it look like he's able to control that broom? What will shouting at him achieve?)_, but he was still rising.

It wasn't long before he fell, screaming, off the broom, and the broom started to drift in the direction of the forbidden forest. Neville hit the ground with a sickening crack, and then he was still. Madam Hooch ran over to him, and after a brief examination proclaimed that it was just a broken arm, then turned to the rest of them saying,

"I'm taking Longbottom to the infirmary. Everyone else is to keep their feet _firmly_ on the ground. If I see one broom in the air, that person will be out of Hogwarts before they can say 'Quidditch'." and then she walked off with Neville in the direction of the castle.

It was Draco, then, who spoke first,

"Ha! Did you see that idiot? He couldn't ride a broom if his life depended on it!" He was still laughing, along with Harry (because it _was_ kind of funny) and all the other first year Slytherin's, when he looked at the ground and saw a small glass ball in the grass where Neville had fallen. He bent down and picked it up, saying,

"What's this, then? Did Longbottom loose it?"

Weasley, looking around and seizing up the odds, spoke up on behalf of the Gryffindor's,

"Give it here, Malfoy."

Draco turned and regarded Weasley, before snorting once and saying,

"What's this? A _Weasley_ expects me to do something? Well, I don't think so", here he turned to Harry, "How about it, Harry? Fancy a game of keep away?"

Not entirely sure what to do, but deciding it would probably be fun, Harry mounted his broom and followed Draco into the air. This was the first time he had ever flown, and he had to say that it was probably one of the best experiences of his life.

After a few seconds of indecision, Weasley had also followed them into the air, and was now shouting at Draco again,

"Give it here, Malfoy!"

"I don't think so, Weasley. Catch, Harry!" and he then threw the glass ball towards Harry, who did a small spin and caught it easily. This continued for another minute or so until Weasley finally seemed to have had enough, and charged at Draco. Draco initially panicked, throwing the ball hard away from him, and then he dove to the ground and landed. Weasley, when the ball had been thrown, had shouted, but he realised he couldn't catch it in time, and so dejectedly landed as well. Harry, however, saw Draco throw the ball and couldn't let it go. What if it smashed and they got in trouble? Hadn't he prefects said to try and _not_ get caught doing anything? So he leaned forward on his broom and took off after the small ball, and as he saw it arching towards the ground, he was thinking he might not make it, and then he went into a dive, catching the ball _just_ before it hit the ground and only just pulling out of the dive in time to avoid doing the same. He then flew back to the group of first years, threw the ball down to Weasley, because really, the short game was over, and landed beside Draco, who said,

"Wow, Harry! Where did you learn to fly like that?"

"I don't know. I just sort of… felt what to do."

It was only a few minutes later that Madam Hooch returned and continued on with the lesson, and Harry quite enjoyed flying around for the rest of the hour, sharing smug glances with other Slytherin's whenever he caught their eye.

* * *

**A/N: Well, that's the fifth chapter of Harry Potter and the World of Magic! So, what did you think?  
**

**Also, from now on, I will try and aim for weekly updates, because of school and such.**

**R&R?**


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